US airlines canceled 1,200 flights Tuesday amid air traffic control staffing shortages, with 1,700 delays reported as government shutdown continues.
WASHINGTON: US airlines canceled 1,200 flights on Tuesday as air traffic control staffing shortages continued amid a record government shutdown.
Airlines delayed just 1,700 flights on Tuesday, marking the industry’s best performance in recent days.
This improvement came after Monday’s 2,400 cancellations and 9,600 delays due to controller absences.
The Federal Aviation Administration had instructed airlines to cut flights by 6% at 40 major airports on Tuesday.
Flight reductions were scheduled to increase to 8% on Thursday and 10% on Friday as the shutdown continued.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said staffing issues improved dramatically from 81 on Saturday to just 4 on Tuesday.
“When that data changes, we’re going to start taking that down from 6%, maybe we’ll go to four, two, and get back to normal air travel,” Duffy said at a Chicago O’Hare press conference.
He emphasized that recovery depends on controllers returning to work.
The Senate voted Monday night to approve legislation ending the shutdown and funding government through January 30.
The House is set to consider the bill on Wednesday.
Duffy warned that flight disruptions could skyrocket this weekend if the House doesn’t approve the bill.
Some major airlines might cease operations if the shutdown continues, he noted.
Air traffic controller absences have caused tens of thousands of flight cancellations and delays since October 1.
Over 1.2 million passengers experienced delays or cancellations during the weekend alone.
The record 42-day shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents to work without pay.
The FAA remains approximately 3,500 controllers short of targeted staffing levels.
Many controllers had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown began. – Reuters
